How to set up mail, contacts, and calendars on iPhone and iPad

You can set up and sync Apple, Google, Microsoft, and many other accounts right to your iPhone or iPad!

Whether you use Apple's iCloud, Google's Gmail, Microsoft's Outlook or Exchange, or something else, it's easy to set up all your mail, contacts, and calendar accounts to sync to your iPhone or iPad. You can enable iCloud when you first set up your new iPhone or iPad, or enable any service at any time in Settings. Here's how!

How to set up iCloud mail, contacts, and calendars on your iPhone or iPad

Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.

Tap iCloud.

Enter your iCloud email and password and tap Sign In.

Turn On the services you want to sync with your iPhone or iPad. By default most, if not all, of iCloud's services are turned on.

How to set up Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Contacts on your iPhone or iPad

If you want to add your Google account to your iPhone or iPad's system apps, you'll want to go to Settings > Mail, Calendar, Contacts.

Under the hood, Apple is using the open standard IMAP, CalDAV, and CardDAV services to handle syncing Google services; unfortunately, Gmail retro-fitted support for IMAP, and it can be quirky at times—especially if you like Gmail's labeling system.

If you want to use the built-in iOS Mail app and its unified inbox, however, and you don't have a paid account, it's your only option.

Launch the Settings app from your Home screen.

Tap on Mail, Contacts, Calendars.

Tap on Add Account.

Tap on Gmail.

Enter your login information for your Google account.

Tap on Allow when prompted with the "iOS would like to..." screen.

Tap on the Gmail button.

Under the account heading you can choose which services you'd like to sync: Mail, Contacts, Calendars, or Notes by moving the corresponding slider to the right.

Tap on Save.

After you save your account, you can access your settings at any time by tapping the Gmail entry under the Accounts header. If you'd like to change the description from "Gmail" to something more apt, tap the Account button, then tap the Description field.

You can also choose to run Google's services in Google's own iOS apps.

How to set up Google Sync on your iPhone or iPad

The Google Sync setup is nearly identical to Exchange: You just need to have a paid Google account and enter the following settings.

Open the Settings app.

Tap Mail, Contacts, Calendars.

Tap Add Account.

Tap Exchange.

Enter your Gmail or Google Account email and password (the description field will automatically update as Exchange).

Tap on Next.

Enter m.google.com as the Server.

Leave the Domain field blank.

Enter your full Gmail or Google Account email address as the Username. (Yup, just like above.)

Tap on Next.

Move the Calendars Slider to the right to sync your calendar's account with your device's.

Tap on Save.

Success! Your Gmail calendar will now sync with your Calendar app on your iPhone, so any existing or new events made in your Google account or on your iPhone will be visible and updated in both.

How to set up Outlook mail, calendar, contacts on your iPhone or iPad

If Microsoft Outlook.com — Live or Hotmail if you're retro — is your mail, contacts, and calendar provider of choice, it's easy to set up and access it right on your iPhone or iPad.

Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.

Tap on Mail, Contacts, Calendars.

Tap on Add Account.

Tap on Outlook.com.

Enter your Outlook.com username and password.

Tap on Next in the upper right hand corner.

Choose the services you'd like to enable and sync with Outlook by moving the corresponding slider button to the right

Tap on Save in the upper right hand corner.

And you're done! You will now get all of your mail from your Microsoft email service to your iPhone or iPad's unified mail inbox. You can also set up Outlook.com as an Exchange account. Just follow the same steps above but choose the Exchange option for account type and use m.hotmail.com as your server.

You can also access Outlook on Microsoft's dedicated Outlook app for iOS;

How to set up Exchange mail, calendar, and contacts on your iPhone and iPad

Exchange is Microsoft's corporate email, calendar, and contact service, built on top of the company's lightning-fast ActiveSync protocol. Many companies use Exchange for their email services; if yours happens to be one of them, we've got the guide to help you set it up on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

No matter whether you use Exchange via Microsoft, Google, your company, or a third-party service, it's all set up the same way: All you need to know are your credentials.